Go Back to the Source

The festival of Navratri is a time for self-referral and getting back to the Source. During this time of transformation, nature sheds the old and gets rejuvenated. Creation is cyclical, not linear; everything is recycled by nature. The human mind, however, lags behind in this routine cycle of creation. The Mother Divine is recognised not just as buddhi, intellect, but also bhranti, confusion; she is not just Lakshmi, abundance, she is also kshudha, hunger, and trishna, thirst. Realising this aspect of the Mother Divine in entire creation, leads one to a deep state of samadhi. Through wisdom, devotion and nishkama karma, one can attain advaita siddhi, or perfection, in the non-dual consciousness. The inward journey nullifies our negative karmas. Navratri is a celebration of prana, the spirit, which alone can destroy mahishasura, inertia, shumbha-nishumbha, pride and shame, and madhu-kaitabha, extreme forms of craving and aversion. They are complete opposites, yet complementary. Inertia, deeply ingrained negativities and obsessions — the raktabeejasura — chanda-munda, unreasonable logic, and dhoomralochan, blurred vision, can be overcome only by raising the level of prana and shakti, the lifeforce energy. The seeker gets back to the true Source through fasting, prayer, silence and meditation. Night is also called ratri because it brings rejuvenation. While fasting detoxifies the body, silence purifies the speech and brings rest to the chattering mind, and meditation takes one deep into one’s own being.

Source: Economic Times, 30/09/2019

Stop Fooling Around

How can I know my mind? An alert mind is not a problem; an unaware mind is. The mind projects the future to be fulfilling but misses the beauty of the present. If you are rich, you want to be richer; if you are strong, you want to be stronger; if you are beautiful, you want to be more beautiful. Such a mind does not make you live life, but leave life. Such a mind creates false prayers. You make a ritual out of prayer and pretend to pray. Such prayer becomes an empty gesture. Why am I so greedy? There is a visible world and there is an invisible world. There is a visible self and an invisible self. The visible world is a world of diversity and the invisible world is a world of oneness. If we live on the periphery, we will feel incomplete, but completeness is one’s nature. This incompleteness wants us to be a complete person. But the only track it knows is greed, wanting more. The enlightened masters give us not a dogma but a device to reach this state of completeness. We should stop fooling around with life. Just thinking to be happy is not enough; just thinking to be wise is not enough. It is a luxury to think but it is wisdom to live. Ask yourself: are you concerned with reality or fantasy? There are two ways to know reality. If you want to know objective reality, science is the way out. If you want to know subjective reality, turn to spirituality

Source: Economic Times, 27/09/2019

It’s All About Daily Living

Unborn and indestructible, beyond time and space — both transmission and inheritance lie in the wonderful nature of the Dharmadhatu. When we take a bath or a shower, we can look at our body and see that it is a gift from our parents and their parents. As we wash each part of our body, we can meditate on the nature of the body and the nature of consciousness, asking ourselves, “To whom does this body belong? Who has transmitted this body to me? What has been transmitted?” If we meditate in this way, we will discover that there are three components: the transmitter, that which is transmitted, and the one who receives the transmission. The transmitter is our parents. We are the continuation of our parents and their ancestors. The object of transmission is our body itself, and the one who receives the transmission is us. As we continue to meditate on this, we see early that the transmitter, the object transmitted, and the receiver are one. All three are present in our body. When we are deeply in touch with the present moment, we can see that all our ancestors and all future generations are present in us. The Dharmadhatu is all that is manifested from the Dharmakaya, having Dharmakaya as its essence, just as all waves are manifestations of water. The Dharmadhatu is neither born nor destroyed. Its existence is beyond time and space. When we understand this truth of existence with our whole being, we will begin to transcend the fear of death, and we will not be disturbed by discriminations.


Economic Times, 26/09/2019

Your Inner Personality

Problems come to every individual. We are experiencing the fruits of our karma in the present. We are also obliged to undergo karmic influences in the future. If you know how to develop your Inner Personality and make it pure and strong, then you can come out of this karmic cycle. All of you are embodied with a work culture, involved in your own professions. You have different educational backgrounds. So, the work culture each one of you is exposed to is quite different. But there is one common factor — the force called ‘You’. And it is that ‘You’ that is called the Atman, Soul. We also call it God. When you go to sleep at night, there is no body-consciousness at all. All of you become equal, one and the same. As soon as you wake up, the environment around you hits you. The culture to which you are exposed everyday hits you. You suddenly become aware of your bodyconsciousness; you become aware of what and who you are. As soon as you wake up, your environment and jobs literally overpower you. You have forgotten that real ‘You’. You have a bath in the morning. You dress up smartly and say, “Okay, I’m fine. I’m ready to go.” Externally, we are all dressed to kill. But how many of us are dressed internally? Your identity is completely tied to your surroundings. You are not aware of that beautiful, wonderful energy inside you — that energy called Atman. That is why you fail to realise and comprehend the power within you. You can overcome your problems; just develop your Inner Personality.

Source: Economic Times, 25/09/2019

A Drop of Water

A shepherd was tending his flock in the hills of Judah. He became thirsty and went to his favourite brook in the hills to take a drink. As he was drawing the crystal clear water in his palm and putting into his mouth, something caught his eye. He saw drops of water falling on a huge stone — drip, drip, drip — and directly where the drops were falling, there was a deep hole in the stone. “What mighty power there is in a drop of water,” thought the shepherd. “Could my stony heart ever be softened that way?” “Hello Akiba! What are you gazing at?” It was Rachel, his master’s daughter. She was wise and kind and fair. “Look what the little drops of water did to the rock,” Akiba exclaimed. “Do you think there is hope for me? Suppose I began to study the Torah, little by little, drop by drop, do you think my stony heart would soften?” “Oh yes, Akiba. If you persevere, if you keep it up as these drops of water.” “But I am 40 years old! Is it not too late to start?” “Oh no, Akiba. It is never too late, if you promise to learn our Holy Torah. I know you will not be ignorant for long.” The shepherd gazed at the drops of water for a long time, and then his mind was made up. And this is how Akiba the shepherd became the Great Rabbi Akiba, the greatest and wisest scholar and teacher of his day, who had 24,000 pupils. He often told them that it was a drop of water that changed his life.


Source: Economic Times, 24/09/2019

Devotion & Dissolution

People say, “He’s gifted.” Nobody is gifted; you have to earn everything. Either you earn joyfully, or you earn miserably — that is all the choice there is. There are a variety of ways through which one earns. But the simplest way, the easiest is devotion. What is Grace? If you look at yourself as a machine — you have brains, body, everything. But what you call as ‘Grace’ is the lubrication. Without lubrication you have a great engine but you get stuck at every point. Devotion would be the easiest way to become receptive to this Grace, so that the process of life becomes graceful. Calculating minds cannot be devout. A devotee is not somebody’s devotee; devotion is a quality. Devotion means a certain single-pointedness. To such a person, Grace will happen naturally and he becomes receptive. What or whom you are devoted to is not the issue. What you need to know is, God does not exist. But where there is a devotee, God exists. So the power of devotion is such that it can create the Creator. Thinking minds always have an allergy to devotion, because devotees have made such fools of themselves. This is simply because fear is passing off as devotion. Only when devotion arises, there is depth. Knowing devotion just as an emotion, may be makes your life a little sweet; devotion, however, means dissolution. The root word for ‘devotion’ is ‘dissolve’. One who is willing to dissolve himself can be a true devotee. In what and how is not the point


Source: Economic Times, 23/09/2019

Opening the Window 

 The real miracle is to be awake in the present moment. Walking on the Earth, we can realise the wonder of being alive. Opening the window, I look out the Dharmakaya. How wondrous is life! Attentive to each moment, my mind is clear like a calm river. After you wake up, you probably open the curtains and look outside. You may even like to open the window and feel the cool morning air with the dew still on the grass. But is what you see really ‘outside’? In fact, it is your own mind. As the sun sends its rays through the window, you are not just yourself. You are also the beautiful view from your window. You are the Dharmakaya. Dharmakaya literally means the ‘body’ (kaya) of the Buddha’s teachings (Dharma), the way of understanding and love. Before passing away, the Buddha told his disciples, “Only my physical body will pass away. My Dharma body will remain with you forever.” In Mahayana Buddhism, the word has come to mean “the essence of all that exists”. All phenomena — the song of a bird, the warm rays of the sun, a cup of hot tea — are manifestations of the Dharmakaya. We, too, are of the same nature as these wonders of the universe. When we open the window and look out on to the Dharmakaya, we see that life is infinitely marvellous. At that very moment, we can vow to be awake all day long, realising joy, peace, freedom and harmony throughout our lives. When we do this, our mind becomes clear like a calm river.

Source: Economic Times, 20/09/2019

Art, Thought Consonance

 Thakur Jaidev Singh enriched and interpreted philosophy, literature and musicology through his discourses and writings. Speaking about the non-dualistic Shaiva philosophy of Kashmir, he said, “It contains in itself the transcendentalism and the immanate nature of the Upanishads, the cosmic power of Tantra, and the activism of the Bhagwad Gita. It is a beautiful synthesis of all that is best in Indian thought.” For Thakur Jaidev Singh, music was mental tonic. He said, “Music reduces the tension of mind. It allows you to sing to yourself. If the listener has absolutely no ear for music, nothing will happen. He is unfortunate.” Once when he was asked to prioritise between sahitya and sangita, Thakurji replied, “In art, there is no question of priority. The poet has every kind of art in him. He has his own talent and every kind of art has its own images. All kinds of art represent something beyond themselves. Literature represents life, story and much more. But music is the only art that is autonomous. It represents nothing beyond itself.” He said that in instrumental music, there is only the play of svara (notes) and tala (rhythm), while in the vocal, there is the breathing of the poet as well. Instrumental music is something like nirguna Brahmn, formless universal consciousness, and vocal is like saguna Brahmn, with form. He also said that a person with a musical heart, having samvada (consonanc

Source: Economic Times, 19/09/2019

Love, Fear and Death

 You are afraid of life because you are afraid of death. And I would like to teach you how to die so that you lose all fear of death. The moment you lose the fear of death, you become capable of living. I am so madly in love with life that because of it, I have fallen in love with death also. It is part of life. When you love life totally, how can you avoid death? You have to love death also. When you love a flower deeply, you love its withering away also. When you love a woman deeply, you love her getting old also, you one day love her death also. That is part, part of the woman. The beautiful face has become wrinkled now — you love those wrinkles also. They are part of your woman. You love a man and his hair has grown white — you love that also. Life is unfolding. Then one day, the man is gone — you love that too. Love knows nothing other than love. Hence, I say, love death. If you can love death, it will be very simple to love life. The problem arises because the questioner must have been repressing, must be afraid of life. And, then, repression can bring dangerous outcomes. If you go on repressing, then the very fever is so much that you are not in your consciousness. Then you are almost in neurosis. Before the repression becomes too much, relax, move into life. It is your life! Don’t feel guilty. It is your life to live and love and to know and be.


Economic Times, 18/09/2019

Reiki: Gentle Healing

 Reiki requires no medicine or equipment. It is the teacher who performs a simple initiation, which connects the initiate to the abundant source of cosmic energy, enabling him to tune in. After this, the Reiki practitioner’s hands acquire the amazing capability to treat self and others. It involves no meditation, concentration, breathing exercises or massage; the magic is in the hands. Reiki is the Japanese word for ‘spiritually guided energy’. Once you are in tune, you can draw on the power any time, any place, even at midnight, to soothe your distressed child, or during a train journey. It is a useful complement in a personal wellness programme and can be used as a preventive tool. Stress reduction and relaxation is the first outcome. Reiki can heal animals, plants, seeds, food and water as well. The ancient practice of Reiki wasn’t heard of again until a Japanese doctor, Mikao Usui, rediscovered it. Reiki does not seek to replace medicine; it merely helps the body to react quicker against a particular sickness and respond better to any treatment or therapy. The level of reality where Reiki operates is the underlying energy structure of matter, as the physical matter we see around us is a solidified form of energy. Most of us have, at some time, sent out prayers like, “Get well soon”, “All the best for your exam” — these energies are feeble, but when combined with the Reiki technique, there is greater concentration and focus. Energy levels increase and positive energy is directed towards achieving wellness.

Source: Economic Times, 17/09/2019

The Story Of An Enlightened Crow

Before transforming into an enlightened and divine crow, Kak Bhusundi had spent numerous past lives in distress, according to the Ramacharitamanasa. In one of his previous lives, Bhusundi had developed arrogance in his disposition and had, at times, insulted Vishnu and his own spiritual guru, accumulating bad karma. By the grace of his guru – and Shiva, who cursed him with many rebirths so that Bhusundi could realise his mistakes and also gave him a boon that minimised the sorrow involved in every rebirth – Bhusundi changed his way of thinking and selected the path of devotional love over misdeed. Bhusundi had turned to spiritual practice after contemplating on his faults. He had coupled patience and perseverance with God remembrance, meditation and guidance from his mentors. It is believed that during the course of his spiritual evolution, Bhusundi had to undergo rebirth numerous times. His difficult life experiences reflect the fact that our initial experiences on the path of spirituality may not be easy. Even in scenarios where God’s grace may reduce the amount of karmic cleansing required, one may still have to face some suffering. Bhusundi’s story reveals that often, our imperfections are forgiven in spiritual practice. Though Bhusundi had been devoted to the Divine, in the beginning, his devotion had been bound with hatred for selected persons. In spite of his initial shortcomings, his chanting of Ramanama, the name of Rama, had transformed him into a divine being through bhakti yoga – he had become an enlightened crow. From our limited understanding of Kak Bhusundi’s – kak means crow – spiritual evolution, we can say that Bhusundi was forgiven by Rama. We can also say that Bhusundi reached a spiritual plane where forgiveness was not necessary. In fact, he had transcended virtues. Rama had blessed him with so much spiritual and philosophical proficiency that he not only became one of the first preachers of the Ramayana but also became the spiritual guru for Garuda, Vishnu’s vehicle, and many people, too. Moreover, Bhusundi had been blessed with immortality and everlasting devotion for Rama. Bhusundi’s meeting with a spiritual guru may be seen as a combined act of grace by Rama and Shiva, who are both Divine. Bhakti may make us eligible for kripa, God’s grace. Alternatively, bhakti may, at times, be a result of grace from guru or God. Spiritual guidance gleaned from discourses by saints, comprehension of scriptures, and our learning experiences in places of worship – all have elements of divine grace embedded within them. For spiritual aspirants, Bhusundi’s remarkable story reflects the importance of realising our own mistakes in life and the beneficial effects that chanting and God remembrance can have on our disposition. Seeking Divine forgiveness, like prayer, is sattvic karma; it may nullify many of our bad karmas from the past. Moreover, repentance has the potential to connect us to the Supreme power. By the time we gain God-realisation, all malevolence and karmic negativities are expected to cease. In due course, we get transported from goodness to beyond goodness. Our remembrance of God eliminates all negative thought processes that may have created a major separation between our soul and God. This is where the karmic cycle breaks and we recognise our own divinity. Finally, we gain permanent proximity to God, fulfilling the aim of devotional spirituality

Source: Times of India, 16/09/2019

Love That’s Everlasting

There are some people whose presence exudes an indefinable power. A magnetic field is created every time a current is passed through an electric wire. The human nervous system also transmits scientifically measurable electrical impulses; in so doing, it sets up its own magnetic field. The more clearly the energy flow in the nervous system can be realised at its subtle level, the greater one’s power to control his life and the physical world around him. This helps one control his spiritual destiny. Whatever one holds strongly in mind, he attracts to himself. When you send out a strong thought, a ray of energy goes out from you towards the object of that thought, creating its own magnetic field, strong or weak, according to the relative strength of your will. A bar of metal becomes magnetised when it is placed next to an already-magnetised piece of iron. Similarly, to acquire strong magnetism, it is important to mix with people who already have the kind of magnetism that one wants to develop. Every kind of human activity manifests a magnetism of its own. For success in that activity, develop the appropriate type of magnetism. Everything originates in the Infinite Spirit. Magnetism of every kind is born of the magnetic power of God’s love. The hidden atomic energy in a bar of iron is far greater than what one could generate from wielding the bar as a club. Kindness and fair-mindedness can solve differences more effectively than can brutal tactics. Divine love is the most powerful force in the universe.

Economic Times, 13/09/2019

Forgive and Get Healed

Thirteen steps to forgiveness:

 1. To forgive, you must recognise that it is your emotion and stop blaming others for how you choose to feel.

 2.Accepting what happened allows you to move from the past to the present, and healing happens in the present.
3. Focus your forgiveness on the person, not what was done by the person.

 4. The negative emotions you are feeling are the stress and toxicity locked into your physiology. Imagine you are forcing that sensation out of your body.

5. Ask yourself, “How much pain and suffering or distorted thinking would I have had to be experiencing to do that?”

 6. From a Vedic perspective, everything is the result of karma, so whatever has happened to you was perhaps the result of some previous act of yours.

 7. No matter how dark the experience might have seemed, look for the opportunity.

 8. Meditation brings clarity of thinking and opens your heart, bringing compassion.

 9. Sometimes there are several layers to forgiveness. Keep digging until you find that peace.

10. Forgiving doesn’t necessarily mean the person who has committed the crime should not be legally punished.

11. If the situation involved someone close to you, sharing your feelings can create a strong, meaningful relationship.

12. Living your life consciously will help you avoid situations that could be hurtful.

 13. You’ll know you have truly and fully forgiven someone when you can face it with no emotional charge.

The Big Bang is in You

When you awaken to the spiritual or evolutionary impulse, you realise that each one of us, at our highest level, is what I call the authentic Self, which is actually the same energy and intelligence that originally inspired the entire creative process. You begin to intuit and feel directly connected to the very impulse that initiated the whole event billions of years ago and is driving it right now. You actually start to feel it working in you, surging through your own mind and body as the mysterious compulsion to evolve at the level of consciousness. When you feel that surge, what you’re experiencing is the highest and most subtle and profound expression of that initial explosion, the outer reaches of the Big Bang. That’s the furthest it has gone, to where you, as a human being at the leading edge, feel this mysterious compulsion to evolve at the level of consciousness. I’m speaking about the development of the interior dimension of the cosmos. The exterior dimension of the cosmos is what you see if you look through a telescope back to the earliest beginnings of our universe. But the interior dimension is the dimension of consciousness. So, when the evolving human experiences this mysterious spiritual compulsion, that is the interior of the cosmos itself trying to develop through you. The cosmos is not just ‘out there’, it’s ‘in here’. So, when you experience the spiritual impulse or the authentic self, you’re experiencing the Big Bang as a surging compulsion for interior development and growth

Source: Economic Times, 11/09/2019

Incredible Journey

 A householder devotee asked Sri Ramakrishna, “How does one make acquaintance with the Lord?” The sage replied, “If you merely sit on the shore of a lake and say there are nice fish in the lake, will you catch any? You will have to go and get the things necessary for fishing — a rod and line, and bait — and throw some lure into the water and wait. Then from the deep water the fish will rise and you will be able to see and catch them. You wish me to show you God while you sit quietly without making the least effort. Make the effort”. In spiritual terms the effort we put into seeking divinity becomes our sadhana, our spiritual discipline. Sadhana is essentially a code of self-imposed discipline and practice that the sadhak (practitioner) willingly undergoes for spiritual uplift. A healthy desire to grow spiritually fuels the sadhak’s journey. The tapas involved purifies and burns the dross. Sadhana raises your consciousness from the physical to the metaphysical, conferring sweetness and grace. A life without spiritual awakening is incomplete, however successful it may be in worldly terms. Sadhana leads one to the nivritti marg, inward path, as distinct from pravitti marg, which leads to the outside, objective world. All scriptures say that right living is built primarily on the pillars of eternal values like sathya, dharma, shanti, prema and ahimsa. These values have to be brought to the fore by sadhana.

Source: Economic Times, 9/09/2019

Aware Pair of Eyes

A squirrel was collecting nuts, one by one. A crow, watching this, laughed and asked the squirrel, how many days will you take to have a considerable amount of nuts? Unaffected, the squirrel replied that nothing was impossible if efforts were continuous. And this is the key to survival. A drop of water doesn’t appear to have any value but zillions of drops make the ocean. The Buddha says in the Dhammapada that any journey seems very long until the first step is taken. We often give up, thinking that the task may be too big or heavy and it may take a long time. A great deal of talent is lost in the world for want of a little courage. Remember, it’s the beginning that seems difficult. Once we begin, things start falling in place and what appeared to be initially impossible seems possible and within reach. Perseverance and constant efforts can make things possible. What one needs is determination to succeed. Look at ants. They’re aware of the difficulties they might face during rainy season. So they start collecting food well before the arrival of the rainy season and by the time rain arrives, ants are self-sufficient. We can learn so many things like planning in advance, perseverance, continuity and risktaking attitude from seemingly insignificant creatures. Life’s indeed a continuous learning process. Adi Shankara says that ‘every step is a life lesson’. There’s so much to learn and so much to know from observing seemingly little objects. Each day, grow in wondrous ways. Life becomes a beautiful garland, fragrant with memories

Source: Economic Times, 6/09/2019

Traditional & Tech Teachers

Artificial intelligence (AI), robot teachers and online technology may not take the traditional teacher’s job, but it could become overpowering soon. A greater emphasis on moral science and the brain’s subconscious process could work as an effective counter-trend to the emergence of the clinical AI and online technology in education. One major reason behind teachers’ downturn is their inability to communicate coherently, their welfare mission to students, leave alone getting emotionally connected with them. Soft-skill to human is as crucial as software is to computers. To an ordinary student, a modern teacher’s appeal to moral values, human rights, democracy and diversity just appear to be nice-sounding words. It looks more like a sermon or a statement of intent, rather than a plan of action. And, so, teachers lose the battle of ideas and values. Teachers employing goodness mode require sincere study of their own rich intellectual resources and heritage. Seeking help with humility from students, they need to weave a robust, meaningful narrative that explains to students the true meaning of education and moral values and why they matter. The teacher needs a communication model as creative and passionate as that of digital/robotic technology, albeit with exciting content. Though we are more powerful and informed than before, we have little idea what to rightfully do with all that power and information. The essence of our future lies in deepening the foundation of collaborative intellect and boosting traditional wisdom.

Source: Economic Times, 5/09/2019

Think and Act Now

The Tibetan Book of the Dead is called ‘Bardo’. When a person is about to die, the chief Lama holds his hand and chants the Bardo. It is similar to Ishavasya Upanishad shlokas that say, “May this life enter into the immortal breath”, chanted when a person dies. “This body will become ashes, you are not the body! The body is ending in ashes, but you are going to the other sphere — mingling with the vital breath.” And then, a message, “Remember, remember what we are doing here; remember what we are telling you, remember O Intelligence, remember that You are the Supreme Spirit, that You are free! Mingling with the immortal breath, go!” When a person understands that at some point all his worldly activity will cease, and he says to himself, “Let me think that all this has already ceased. Then how would I lead my life?,” he will then live accordingly. Fire has always been a symbol of the spirit. Before the matchstick was invented, fire had to be lit by rubbing dry flint and fire came from a spark. A prayer to Agni says, “Lead us along the auspicious path to prosperity.… Prosperity, not only in this world but also after death. Agni, lead us unto prosperity. Take away all sins from us. Take away all deceitfulness from us. Burn it to ashes and we shall offer many prayers unto you forever! We shall continue to burn all our bad karma in you, O Agni! Destroy our bad karma, turn all our bad deeds to ashes and lead us to the path of prosperity.”

Source: Economic Times, 3/09/2019

Commitment and Balance

 Commitment is the language of the wise; complaint is that of fools. Commitment is a responsibility and it includes accountability. Our weaknesses result in disappointment. To overcome disappointment, boost your strengths. The greatest strength comes from the energy of commitment that brings excellence in all walks of life. Few people traverse the road of success without a puncture or two, but it is commitment to excellence that takes them through. To be committed is not being ‘stuck’; it is an integration of one’s being. If you are committed to honour your word, the base self in you will discourage you. If your energies are low, you will succumb. If you follow the higher self, the lower self will serve you, slowly getting integrated with the higher. In such a state, there will be integrity. Without integrity, life is shallow. Commitment also involves dropping illusions. We do not see the world as it is; we see it projected through our verbose minds. Our minds are filled with thoughts and words. Words represent experiences. Words are also influenced by memory. From the past, we see the present. So, we create illusions created by words, but we must filter them wisely. Through commitment, balance all walks of your life: family, work, social and spiritual. Creativity is to balance all walks of life. Creativity is just not creating something new always. Creativity brings excellence in one’s life. It is a state of well-being. Well-being creates completion. When one is complete, one is alive and vibrant in all walks of life.

Source: Economic Times, 22/08/2019

The Ability to be Outraged

What happens when you react in a fit of anger? Confucius advised, “When anger arises, think of the consequences,” and much the same has been retold in different words. The problem is that when we get enraged, we rarely think, we just react. Acting in anger can be injurious not only to health but might impact others adversely as well. However, the presumption that anger necessarily is something to be apologetic about needs to be questioned. Equally, anger per se is not welcome, and rage — depending on how it is manifested — may be counterproductive. But a complete inability to get angry at anything is not necessarily a sign of having attained nirvana; it often is a sign of nothing more profound than being passive or disinterested. Is it advisable to remain indifferent, not reacting to anything? Sometimes, it is our sense of outrage that reveals to us what really matters to us. Anger clouds thinking. However, there are times when the heart rules the mind — and this is not always all that bad. The heart sets the agenda for our lives and the mind is but an instrument to realise that agenda; therefore, thought has its limitations. Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita that passion, fear and rage need to be transcended. Yet, he also goads a reluctant Arjuna to stand up and fight a battle that represents right against wrong. The concept of battling injustice revolves around the presumption that we are driven to outrage at what is not fair. If we are not upset with things going wrong, what will impel us to set them right?

Source: Economic Times, 21/08/2019